Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars

by Melisse Aires

  He remained diligently aware of his surroundings, expecting to see a Ven relocation light. Nothing came as he made his way to the small arsenal in the deck’s weapons locker. He quickly pulled out a small bag designed to attach to his belt, and filled it with two different grenade types. He then grabbed the armaments he could strap to himself. He moved to the end of the hall, stepped into a vertical maintenance shaft, and climbed down. As he passed the maintenance tube between decks he could hardly hear his people, which forced him to move faster.

  At the bottom rung, he pulled one of the themis grenades out of the pouch, and set the timer, but didn’t activate it. He withdrew another, and jumped down the last portion of the tube. He turned, and found himself not two lengths from the nearest Ven. Four stood in front of him, each with a cocky grin on their face. He tossed the first grenade toward them, and they scattered.

  He then activated the other, and threw it not far from the base of the ladder. Swiftly he climbed back up. He was undeterred by the blast he took to his leg, or the projectile that impacted his vest. By the time he reached the top the second grenade exploded, clearing his path below. He made his way back down the ladder and onto the Engineering deck, already healing from the wounded leg.

  Lieutenant Commander Jae looked to his right when he heard a clatter to the ground. Masterson and his team were about to emerge from the tunnel before Anara and her team.

  “Masterson, get everyone into Engineering!” He ordered. Yatrell turned toward the other tunnel one last time, still not seeing the side open. “I’m going to draw their fire.”

  Without further thought, he moved in the path of the weapons’ fire. As he did, he tossed another themis in one direction and bowled over one of the larger Ven soldiers near the opening. He pinned the solider beneath him, and slammed his fist hard into the Ven’s face. Hearing bones crack, he reached for the Ven weapon and turned it on the encroaching crowd, The weapon’s energy beam streamed through one Ven’s body, and pierced the ones behind him as well.

  As he repeatedly fired, several fell with each shot. When it warmed in his hand, he tossed it at the oncoming attackers. Feeling a hard crack between his shoulder blades, Yatrell leaned forward and yanked the band from the head of the Ven he had pinned. As he did, he noticed the Ven bleed down the sides of his head.

  Yatrell looked up at the crowd of weapons facing him. Without a thought, he grabbed the nearest Ven energy weapon and played with the settings. One Ven woman kicked him hard while he did. He was pushed off of the Ven he pinned as the energy weapon made a high pitched whine. The Ven moved as far away from him as possible.

  He shoved the weapon through the soldier’s abdomen, and took off for the Engineering door, seconds after his team made it in. The ensuing explosion shook the floor beneath them.

  “Someone is going to hate me tomorrow, for that,” Yatrell commented.

  The Dentonian defense team didn’t waste a moment. They moved together, and took advantage of the short window Yatrell had bought them.

  The lead engineer smirked when he noted who it was leading the defense team into his section, “Well, if it isn’t Lieutenant Commander Jae. Welcome to the Engineering core and coil repository. Now get your sorry backsides all the way in here and take up defense. We need to get this online already.”

  “Aye sir.” Yatrell chuckled.

  In unified movements, the nine soldier defense team took up positions around the Engineering door, and began to hold off the invaders as the onslaught began again. When he stood in position, his back against the half wall, Yatrell was able to get a clear view of the entrance.

  With his focus on the Ven trying to push into Engineering, he addressed Engineering Commander, “How long will this take?”

  “Ten minutes if we can focus and not have to kill something,” The commanding engineer replied.

  “Understood.” Yatrell fired, killing another of the Ven soldiers as they attempted to push into the section, “Let’s hold ‘em off. Engineers need ten, and then we play clean up.”

  The team fiercely held the door, keeping the Ven out of Engineering. After a few minutes, the engineers announced that the coils were charging. Hearing this motivated the defense team to start to push out of Engineering. As the room filled with a sharp, high-pitched whine, the Ven began to fall back. Shortly thereafter, the lights came on, and power returned throughout the ship.

  The ship shuddered hard, and lurched forward then backward again as the weapon fired. When the ship stuttered and shifted, it sent Yatrell over the railing and onto the deck below. He landed with a thud loud enough to make his team fall back to his previous position. Stunned, he blinked, and stared up at the coil as it returned to a normal functioning state. He watched the coils start to turn and light up again. The engineers on that level moved toward him.

  Anara looked over the side and called down, “Ah… You ok down there?”

  It took a moment for Yatrell to realize she’d spoken to him. “Uhmm… I think so.” He shot back, and then the room went black.

  ~*~

  The merciless onslaught resulted in a few losses and hundreds of injuries.

  Yatrell woke up staring at the ceiling, with the lights overwhelming his eyes. His head ached worse than he’d felt in years. He tried to sit up and was greeted by a firm, but gentle, female hand pushing him back down.

  “Don’t sit up yet, Lieutenant Commander,” her soft voice said.

  He groaned, and stared up at the nurse through squinted eyes. “What… happened? How long have I been out?”

  She smiled sweetly, and calmly replied, “Just overnight. Oh, and the doctor said that you have several broken ribs and a nasty hole in your side. This has nothing to do with the telepathic side of things, which our doctor is determined you’ll have issues with, but can’t say what.”

  “He never can.” Yatrell rolled his eyes then closed them. “Alright, what happened to the team? Are the Ven gone?”

  “Yes, you and your team made it possible for the ship’s systems to be restored and to fend off the Ven. You’re being commended, once you’re on your feet again.” The nurse checked the bandages on his side, and started to clean the wound. “This may hurt some.”

  “Not a big deal.”

  Yatrell lay on the bed as she tended to the wound. His mind slowly started to calm as he struggled to focus on her mind. He found the effort was worth embarrassment as reading her thoughts revealed some personal desires on her part. He pulled back into his mind, hearts racing slightly.

  She treated his wound and he only winced until she put the fresh bandages onto his side. Impressed she looked at him and smiled, “Very good, Lieutenant Commander.”

  “Yea.” He didn’t open his eyes and fell silent while she did several other medical scans trying to see how he was healing. “So, where is my team now?”

  She shrugged, “Likely at Crewmen Pietro Rajk’s ceremony. He was one of five lost in the attack.” She looked over at him when she noticed how his expression changed, “He was the youngest lost.”

  “Yea, well, a sixteen year old kid that has only been on the ship six months is an easy target.”

  The nurse became somber, “Yes, this is true.”

  “Can you give me something for this headache?” She nodded and walked off. As Yatrell lay on the bed, he found himself replaying the images from the fight in Pietro’s quarters the day before. His mind returned to the moment when he felt the prick of the needle entering his arm, to administer the pain reliever.

  “Ah… Thanks.”

  The kind young woman smiled sweetly, “You’re welcome. It won’t take long before the reliever starts to work. I’m going to tend to the others now. I’ll be back to check on you soon.”

  He nodded, and watched her walk away. He took a deep breath and hoped to hear anything calm but instead he heard his team’s sadness from the loss of one of their own.

  Yatrell recalled his first several months on the ship. His mind wandered through the attacks that came
as well as the scrutiny from the crew. The hazing got to him initially, but when he started to pay attention to their thoughts to avoid it beforehand, he found the crew was no longer a problem. Fortunately, he was able to us the same technique to protect himself and his team during battles.

  He took a deep breath and tried desperately to clear his mind. Not finding the calm focus he needed, he selected to reach out beyond those on the ship to the one quiet mind he knew he could reach. His eyes grew wide when he heard her voice. His hearts sank when he realized what she was doing.

  ~*~

  “Ahum, two, three, four. Left, right, left, right. Kala counted her steps, and chanted to herself as she practiced marching on the training deck. When she pivoted and faced the other direction, she started the chant over.

  He projected to her, ~Kala, what are you doing?~

  Hearing him in her mind, she missed a step in her rhythm.

  Her trainer got into her face, yelling, “What is the problem, Cadet? Can’t you walk straight?!”

  Kala nodded, “Yes.” She blushed again, her stomach was tied up in knots and nothing she did felt right.

  “Did I tell you to shift your head?”

  Kala blinked and stared in the direction she was marching but was too afraid to answer.

  “Yes? Don’t you know how to speak?” The trainer moved next to her, inches away, yelling as he spoke. Not once winded by the combined effort.

  “Yes, sir.” Her voice shook slightly as she responded, “I mean, Aye sir.”

  “You mean?! What you’re mean!? I won’t have that on my deck! Move, move, move now.”

  “I ca-...” Her trainer glared and she quickly corrected herself, “This cadet can walk straight, sir.” Her steps fell silent. Her trainer became angrier she stopped moving. “I…didn’t intend to upset you sir.” She started to march again, focusing on her pace.

  “Why are you doing anything you don’t intend?”

  “This cadet was trying to respect you, sir.” Her voice shook ever so slightly as she responded.

  “You don’t try to respect me, Cadet. You just do!”

  “Aye, sir.”

  “Are you afraid of me cadet?”

  “No, sir.” Her voice remained calm this time and she continued to march.

  He glared at her intensely as he continued to yell, “You better not be afraid of me cadet. I’m your best friend. And this cadet better not be in my head when marching on my deck. Now move!”

  Kala returned to her pace and attempted to march again as instructed. She focused on the pace and steps until she forgot that Yatrell had linked to her. Nervously she continued her efforts, one step at a time.

  Yatrell lay on the bed in the medical bay, listening to her thoughts as they fluttered through her mind. He found himself more and more concerned as he did. He hesitated to interrupt her again. Some part of him was afraid she would endure more upset and scrutiny. He listened as she continued to practice basic movements with great intensity and focus and continued to falter from time to time. This fact concerned him greatly.

  When he heard that she was dismissed, he gently projected again to her, ~He’s just trying to toughen you up. You’ll need it now.~

  She marched with her team from the training hall and out of the trainer’s authority for the night. Once she was free of the expectations she projected back to him, ~I … think I understand that.~

  Henessa walked beside her and the others, listening to Kala’s thoughts briefly before she realized the conversations she was having was personal. As a kind gesture she put up blocks around Kala’s mind to prevent the others from listening in. Henessa focused on her conversation with the rest of the team as they walked back to the Corners for the night.

  ~Good. Now, tell me how you ended up there.~ Yatrell projected, trying to hide the concern from his voice.

  Gently she projected, ~I told you. I was sold.~ She reached in her pocket and found the now comforting feel of the listening stone. She was glad that none of the trainers had discovered it on her.

  Astonished, Yatrell projected, ~Sold? To the military? That sounds wrong even for a Xenonian.~

  ~No. My master is expecting a wedding announcement.~ She paused briefly and then corrected herself, ~My former master. My new master is something of an enigma to me.~

  He shuddered hearing that, still not able to get used to that idea. ~How long have you been there?~

  Her projection even stuttered when she thought about it, ~A week.~

  He grimaced. ~A week and you still can’t move with your team? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?~ He found it difficult to hide his frustration with her when he projected, ~You need to be paying attention to what your instructors are telling you, not to the minds around you. They don’t know what you need to know, your instructor does. He will be the reason you survive your first battle and your next and every battle after that.~

  Flustered and trying not to cry, Kala, projected back to him, ~Yes, I believe this too. I… am … just not cut out for this. I can’t do this.~

  ~Yes, you can.~ Yatrell asserted confidently, ~You have no choice now Kala, you must.~ He wished he felt as confident about that as he sounded.

  Stilling holding her listening stone in her pocket, Kala explained to the others she wasn’t hungry for dinner. Phil acknowledged her and continued to the common area. Kala walked back to her room. Henessa and the rest of the team followed Phil to the common area for their evening meal.

  Once Kala was in her quarters, and Yatrell was done explaining why she needed to do what she knew she needed to do, she began to cry. ~I didn’t want this. I can’t do this. I’m not built to fight people, Yatrell. What is … what am I going to do?~

  He listened to her words, finding it hard to deny what she said, but forced himself to do so anyway, ~Anyone can train, work, and learn anything, even you. You must dedicate yourself to doing it.~

  ~I’m trying. I’m… lost Yatrell. I don’t belong here.~

  ~No, you don’t, Kala. Of all of the people I know right now, you belong there the least. That doesn’t change the fact you’re there and need to pull yourself together.~

  She fell silent as the tears streamed down her face. She clutched onto the listening stone tightly in her hand. ~I can’t. I don’t know how.~

  ~Keep practicing what you’re told and taught.~

  ~I am. My roommate helps me before lights out. I’m trying, Yatrell.~

  ~Kala, you can’t avoid of your training. You need it, or you won’t survive six months.~

  Kala remained silent as she lay on the bed. She curled up into a ball, and tears flowed down her cheeks freely, soaking the pillow. Henessa walked in with a tray of food, and sat at her desk with it. She picked at one dish while watching Kala in silence.

  Yatrell realized he’d been lecturing her and he softened his tone. ~I just don’t want to lose the only other sane mind in this craziness. I’m … sorry I’m lecturing. If you need anything I can help with, please tell me. I should go now. Anara is here to visit. We’ll talk soon.~ W

  ithout another word, the two let their link go silent.

  Once she knew that Kala was done with her conversation, Henessa moved over to her bed, and sat at the foot of it. “Kala, can we talk?”

  Kala sat up, and halfheartedly glanced in her direction. Tears continued running down her face, “What?” She started to wipe her cheeks.

  Concern was clear in her blue eyes as Henessa gently asked, “Do you realize that that you just spoke, telepathically, through the barrier?”

  Kala’s face scrunched up. She examined the listening stone in her hand, before looking back at Henessa, “I do now.”

  “No one has ever done that before. We’re … I mean most of us have tried but none of us can.”

  Kala nodded, and stared at the stone trying to figure out why she could get through this time.

  Henessa studied her new roommate, and became more concerned for her.

  “Sometimes, when people are sick, they
are able to do extraordinary things with their minds. That’s normally not a good sign.”

  Kala found herself at a loss for words.

  Henessa stood from the bed and walked to her communications device. She quickly activated it. “Cadet Sar to Lieutenant Palrion.”

  Over the ship’s speakers came, “Lieutenant Palrion, here, Cadet. What do you need?”

  “We need you to come to the corners a little earlier than training tonight. Kala’s not feeling very well.”

  “Understood. Palrion out.” The intraship system communications device fell silent.

  Henessa walked back to her roommate, and sat at the end of her bed, “Lieutenant P. knows what he’s doing. You can trust him. He will be able to help figure out why you can do this and make sure you’re healthy.”

  Kala nodded, and fought through her tears in silence until the trainer arrived. He used his code to enter the room, and as soon as the door closed, he looked at Kala, and then at Henessa. “What concerns you about your roommate, Nessa?”

  “Off the record, Lieutenant?”

  “Yes.”

  “She projected to another telepath, while in the corners. The other telepath was on a different ship. This isn’t nick’d blackout corners for no reason. Even with the stone, she shouldn’t be able to. Not … normally.”

  Kala watched as the trainer and her roommate discussed her. Listening to the tone of their voice and demeanor only made her more worried.

  Lieutenant Palrion turned to Kala with concern etched in his features. “You’ve never tested the full strength of your natural ability, have you?” Kala shook her head no. “How many people knew you were telepathic before we brought you here?”

  “One.” Her voice was timid. Her swollen eyes were finally free of tears.

  He took a deep breath, his intense scrutiny pinned on her several long moments. “Alright, Kala get your things. We’re going for a walk. Stone, too.”

  Confused, Kala picked up her communicator and the listening stone, and pushed herself to her feet. “Ok, sir.”